Note sulle specie ipogee del genere Eukoenenia in Piemonte: distribuzione, habitat, comportamento (Arachnida, Palpigradi: Eukoeneniidae)

Abstract

I Palpigradi sono un ordine di Aracnidi con specie caratterizzate da dimensioni millimetriche e dalla presenza di un flagello al termine dell’opistosoma. Se ne conoscono poche specie, quasi tutte di recente scoperta; quelle ipogee descritte finora sono tutte molto specializzate. Sono state considerate rarissime fino a pochi anni fa a causa delle ridotte dimensioni e dell’ambiente di ricerca sfavorevole. In questo lavoro è presentata una sintesi della distribuzione del genere Eukoenenia in territorio piemontese e zone limitrofe, con nuove località di reperimento e alcune note preliminari sull’habitat e il comportamento osservato in natura su numerosissimi esemplari.

Global distribution of microwhip scorpions (Arachnida: Palpigradi)

“…Palpigrades are also generally sensitive to disturbance, preventing researchers from keeping them alive in the laboratory (Mayoral & Barranco, 2002b) unless for short periods (Kováč et al, 2002). Accordingly, the few accounts on the life history of palpigrades are either casual and anecdotic observations in their natural habitats (Balestra et al 2019; Ferreira & Souza, 2012; Ferreira et al 2011) or studies based on indirect evidence (Smrž et al 2013).…”

Don’t forget the vertical dimension: assessment of distributional dynamics of cave-dwelling invertebrates in both ground and parietal microhabitats

“…S1), known from Bossea Cave (Frabosa Soprana), 20 km from Baraccone Cave. To date Eukoenenia strinatii has been observed also in other nearby cavities (Balestra et al 2019).…”

Observations on the habitat and feeding behaviour of the hypogean genus Eukoenenia (Palpigradi, Eukoeneniidae) in the Western Italian Alps

“…1). In this area, six hypogean species of the E. spelaea species-complex have been reported (Balestra et al 2019;Christian et al 2014;Isaia et al 2011;Pantini and Isaia 2019): E. spelaea, E. strinatii Condé, 1977, E. bonadonai (Condé, 1979, E. roscia , E. lanai Christian, 2014, and an undescribed species of Eukoenenia. (E. Christian in litteris).…”

“…The majority of the data reported in this paper were collected from the Bossea cave, the first Italian show cave, that is composed by different environments, and from four other cavities where Eukoenenia strinatii have been already reported (Balestra et al 2019).…”

“…The elective habitats of the species in the genus Eukoenenia are interstitials (Howarth 1983;Mammola 2019) and the species can be ecologically classified in soiland cave-dwelling (Mammola et al 2021b). The cave-dwelling species have been reported walking on the cave walls and ground (Condé 1996), speleothems (Souza and Ferreira 2010), decomposing wood (Balestra et al 2019), sand banks near water stream (Souza et al 2020) and on the surface of water pools (Christian et al 2014;Balestra et al 2019).…”